Spheri Society - Howling Snow
by Judge of the Winds
Summary: The Spheri Society is an esteemed organization known for keeping the peace across the multiverse, utilizing high-tech, chemically engineered spheres. Just before the team departs on their mission, a transport computer malfunction occurs and sends Ieremiah, Jemri, Cleinias, and Sheryl to the land of Tellius, unknowingly setting off one of the most troubling times in Tellian history.
1. Chapter 1

Spheri Society – Howling Snow 01

**Spherindell Labs**

"Diagnostics complete. The portal is now ready to accept passengers."

Sheryl fidgeted with her blue Spherus Band and her lavender hair, anxiously hoping that her first dimensional trip would be successful. Her light blue thigh-high boots would crinkle lightly as she padded lightly in place. She had all the necessary equipment – her band, which housed her orbs; pouches for various medicines; her Cylindell rod for tools she would need on the journey, along with backups; Sphere packs and a manual on Sphere synthesization; spare clothes and toiletries; and finally, her favorite hairpin – Cleinias had given it to her as a graduation present, on her becoming a Spheri. It had a lavender ribbon with a small sapphire signet of her family's crest. She smiled gently at the thought of being on a mission with him, finally.

Cleinias – tall, leanly muscular, lively, and always looking out for little Sheryl. His freckles and short brown hair would become a dazzling red in sunlight, perfectly matching his sunny personality. He was an Earth-elemental Spheri, complimenting her Water affinities. She looked up to him, lightly squeezing his much larger hand. His soft voice rang sweetly in her ears. "Y'ready to go, princess?" he asked. He always called her that out of affection – originally it was due to her noble heritage, but after they got together, he used it to calm her down as well. She nodded, smiling up at him.

I, Ieremiah, pushed my glasses back into place upon the bridge of my nose, carefully studying my book on various environments and their uses for Sphere Synthesization while mindlessly checking off everything in my satchel that I needed for the trip. My ponytail and violet trench coat swayed as I paced calmly back and forth on the launch pad, waiting for Commander Vilacker to give us the orders. Occasionally I checked my violet Spherus band, growing slowly more anxious for when we would depart – I always got a little portal-sick during transport. My boots clacked gently on the metal, attempting to be quiet so as to not disturb the others, though as usual, Jem, my de facto big brother, was still watching me.

Jemri, or Jem as we called him, leaned up against the wall near the computers, his cowboy hat covering his face while he lightly dozed from working on some specs for his red band. His auburn bangs lightly fell across his face as he almost nodded off. His striped tail swished below him, lightly furrowing his suede jacket as he did so. It was because of his tail, markings, furry pointed ears and eyes that he was easy to identify, even moreso than his odd outfit that he liked. I still say he loves westerns a little too much. He'd grown close to me over the time we were in the platoon, and I was one of the first friends he'd had. In exchange for help with adjusting to Spheri Society, Jem would protect me from potential bullies when we were younger – now, he'd fix the hardware while I fixed the software for the various computer systems around the base.

A tall, grayed man, just shorter than Cleinias, with a short beard and glasses, marched into the room in his full regalia, causing all four of us to fall in line. General Vilacker was well known for his deep, rhythmic voice, somewhat stocky build, and omnibenevolent presence, except when it came to suitors trying to court his daughter, who had recently blossomed into the marriable age. Clearing his throat, he gave the briefing: "Okay, team. Your mission is to investigate the origins of the spatial shift that's recently been forming over in Sector 3-B's Delta quadrant. We have reason to believe that Velias, the leader of the Delsi cult, is related to the formation of a shift of such magnitude. And- hmm?" He paused. Suddenly the base shook, causing all of us to lose their balance. Sheryl shrieked, causing Cleinias to grab on to her, while Jemri and I quickly grasped the other's hand in time.

A large siren wailed while the intercom came on. "Disaster alert. All Spheri shall report to the docking bay for emergency transport."

"Go, everyone, quickly! Things will be alright here, get going!" General Vilacker yelled. Everyone nodded, and set out for the gate. Just as we had entered, something struck the control circuits, causing the computer to malfunction. Jem clutched me to his chest while reaching for Cleinias' hand while I reached for Sheryl's. Unfortunately, neither duo was successful, and we were caught in the vortex to our new location. '_Knowing what went on, there's probably no way we could find our way back with any amount of reasonable time, nonetheless complete the mission… great… there goes my promotion… at least there's a chance we could-" _ That was all I could think of before everything went black.

* * *

"…_Ow." _Well, there goes the plan to not get hurt badly when transporting through spatial portals. Based on the feel of muscular arms around me, Jem is probably still holding me to his chest. Admittedly, it feels nice – he's basically become a big brother of sorts to me, so it's pretty comforting. That, and I like hugs from him – he's like a teddy bear once you bypass his initial aloofness.

I decided to open my eyes to see what's going on – we seemed to have crashed into a dense forest, with a thick canopy above us, but not the same air as a rainforest. It seems more like tons of deciduous trees, with a nice view of… well, more forest… no humanoids seemed to be around this area, either.

"Hey… Jem…" I whispered. Thankfully he's a light sleeper, so he awoke rather easily.

"Yeah? What's up bro?" he asked lazily. "Ergh… …A forest?"

"No signs of Sheryl and Cleinias. I would've gotten blips on my Spheradar. The only thing we can do at the moment is to make ourselves a home, I guess. We brought the kit, right?" I asked, checking my satchel.

"Yeah, I got mine. Urrrf…" he stretched, wincing a little at the soreness in his legs and back from our landing, as well as his tail. I was equally sore, with my shoulder and… well, my hips sure could use a bit of a spa treatment. "Aaaagh… remind me t'install _seats_ next time… ow…" he groaned, cracking several places in his back with one backward bend.

Scouting a spot was rather easy, since it seemed we'd made a clearing when we landed. "I guess this spot is as good as any, Jem. Ready to combo?"

"Sounds good to me!" he said gruffly.

In unison, we commanded, "Spherus Shot, load the slots!"

"Foundation!" "Flooring!" "Walls!" "Wallpaint!" "Plumbing!" "Electricity!" "Doors!" "Windows!" "Roof!" "Décor!" we cast in tandem. Soon, we had a nice, comfy, two-story house reminiscent of a Japanese 2BHK*. It took us a decent amount of energy to shoot all of those spheres, but hey, it's a pretty sweet pad, if I say so myself. Surveillance, a comfy round sofa with an oak coffee table and round Persian rug for the living area, wood panel flooring for the first floor and plush carpet for the bedrooms, working bathroom, a square kitchen with a wide fridge (great since Jem can eat like a horse), a Sphere Synthesization lab, and a lush bed in a smaller space in the back for Jem & I. It seemed like the sun would set soon, so it was good that we got done in time.

"Ah, nice and comfy. Not too shabby, considering we just crash-landed into the middle of who-knows-where just a while ago."

"Gotta agree with that, little bro. We'll probably be staying here for a while, so I guess it's a good thing to get used to." Jem said while taking off his black boots at the door as I did the same with my blue shoe-boots. I'd used a quick Shower sphere to clean us off beforehand, so I didn't have to worry about us being dirty in the house. Allergens can be a pain, y'know. Then again, I should be the one saying that when my best friend is a western-loving weretiger.

After turning on the surveillance and security cameras, as well as perma-locking the doors, enforcing all of the windows with a quick Hearten sphere, and adjusting the AC for a good sleeping environment, Jem & I got into our pajamas and went to sleep, him keeping me close with his embrace. It'd be nice if we could be like this the whole night, but as always, there was a thought lingering in the back of my mind.

"_Why am I getting the feeling we're being watched? There's something out there, isn't there… …Great. Now what'll happen…?"_

* * *

* A 2BHK is short for "Two Beds, One Hall, One Kitchen", which is how Japanese apartments are usually laid out.


	2. Chapter 2

Spheri Society – Howling Snow 02

The King of Gallia watched over the landscape from his throne room's hall, lightly sipping from a small goblet of Chianti. The impressive forests that Gallia boasted sat well with the robust people under his firm, but kind rule. His shadow, Giffca, remained silent, watching both the king and land with analytical amber eyes. It was a quiet Tuesday, or at least, quiet for the moment. There was always that sliver of dread in the back of the Lion King's mind that there would be something to go wrong.

Last week was the watermelon fiasco Ranulf had pulled – it took 50 people just to clean it up, nonetheless repair the pottery broken in the ruckus. Two weeks ago someone decided to let Skrimir try coffee, that new produce that Crimea had been cultivating, only to make him have a drinking contest against Raulden, the next-highest general and the successor to Meinrad, his most illustrious general, next to Skrimir. Suffice to say there were a least five of some of their strongest men to subdue Skrimir from possibly running out of the castle at breakneck speed, and six of the next strongest ensuring Raulden wouldn't do the same or worse. There were rumors that catnip might've been placed in the coffee as well, but the royal botanist, Mafalda, proved otherwise. This was conducted due to the High Court literally becoming high off of some slipped catnip into their drinks just three days prior. And, suffice to say, Caineghis, Giffca, and Meinrad were all heavily displeased with the culprit.

While Meinrad and Raulden were not lions themselves, the king gave them credit – they were powerful enough to be considered so. If Royal Bloodline were not considered, he would've even considered either of them to be his successor, most likely Raulden due to his youth, which would allow a stronger, longer reign, but alas, the Lions were the royalty of Gallia, both in rarity and in strength – Skrimir, his belligerent nephew, was his… really, his only choice. His compassion and vigor would make him a great king for sure, but it was that same vigor that completely threw the poor king's sanity out the window whenever the prince had one of his 'moments'. For example, the aforementioned Coffee Incident, the Botanist Lab Incident, the Noodle Incident, the Saint Soan* Incident, and so on.

"It's a fine day, isn't it, Giffca?"

"Of course, My King." Giffca gave a rare smile.

"The forest is calm, the city is bustling, and nothing has happened yet."

"Indeed, Sire. I think it is something for which to be thankful."

"So, thankfulness aside, let us not cut to the chase; what preparations should we make in case there's another incident that needs to be taken care of?" Caineghis grimaced slightly. He hated to be a downer, but with the recent events happening, one is never too careful.

"We have made tighter security on produce; better equipment is being shipped for Miss Mafalda, and we've arranged for the blacksmiths to make higher-quality stands for the vendors in the event there is an incident in the streets. I suppose that –"

Suddenly, a large clatter seemed to come from a couple stories below.

"Oh, for the love of Ashera, what is it _now?_" Caineghis groaned. A young maid had appeared in the hallway shortly afterward.

"Sire! Prince Skrimir's gotten drunk again!" At that, Caineghis held his head in his hand, proceeding to put his head on Giffca's shoulder while the latter patted the poor king's back.

A gruff sigh later and Caineghis sprinted into action. "Alright, time to put my nephew back in line. Again." A loud roar was heard as the king bounded down the stairs, down to the dining hall where Skrimir had just broken a now-empty barrel of beer, making it his sixth, breaking his previous personal record. Caineghis shifted back just as he entered into the dining hall, with a slam on the oak door. All the cheers had stopped with his mere presence bounding toward his inebriated nephew.

"You, me, throne room, _now_." Caineghis snarled. Not even a small whine could escape the drunken prince before he was dragged forcefully by his mane to the throne room. Whispers spread like wildfire just as the royals exited the dining area while Caineghis sat Skrimir into the Prince chair. "Now I've _told_ you not to drink irresponsibly, and –" Caineghis stopped himself as he heard something off in the distance, something akin to a blast. He decided to let Skrimir sulk for a bit, and looked out from the hall balcony, finding a somewhat odd smoke rise briefly from far away, just east of Hurri. _'Well… looks like Skrimir's antics aren't the only thing I'll be dealing with today…' _the king thought. "Giffca, round up Lethe, Mordecai, Lyre, Raulden, and Kyza to investigate that billow of smoke. Meanwhile, have Ranulf tend to my drunken nephew, and see if you can give him a bit of a talk."

"Understood, Your Majesty." Giffca bowed and quickly darted for the appointed people like a freight train on Duracell, leaving the Lion King with a steadily growing migraine, wondering if he should join his nephew as well, instead of having Giffca berate his nephew to bits.

* * *

The next day, we had both awoke to a good morning. I was first to wake, finding Jem still holding me close to his chest like he always did. He purred gently while he slept, his chest reverberating. It was a deep, gruff purring that was like the low hum from a bass choir, something very enjoyable for my ears – deep, low, and protective. "Jem?"

Jemri stifled a yawn that sounded halfway to a groan. "Mmph. Five more minutes…"

"C'mon, up and at'em. I'll make breakfast." I said to him. Thankfully both of us know how to cook, but Jem will always concede that I'm the better cook, which is somewhat true in most cases, but I think he does a lot better than me when it comes to things like burgers, chicken wings, and rangoons, probably stemming from me not liking fried foods that much anyway.

Breakfast for me consisted of a light omelette with diced tomatoes, cilantro, turkey, and Gouda cheese with two banana onigiri, while Jem's appetite would always make mine look like it was a kid's meal. His consisted of 15 pancakes, 20 sausage patties, two gallons of milk and 3 omelettes. I'd thankfully made sure the chairs could withstand over 800 lbs. of weight, so I had little worry of 6'4", 290-lb. Jem suddenly breaking one – or someone else, if we make any contacts in this place.

"Whew… man, was that a good breakfast…" Jem said, rubbing his very full stomach. "Compliments to the chef." He smirked, reaching one arm up while I leaned down to hug him from behind his chair. I could tell he was definitely satisfied, being that it looked like he'd just eaten a basketball whole. Of course, his metabolism would let him return to normal within the hour or sooner, if adrenaline kicked in, and with bigger muscles.

"So, apparently we're in Gallia of Tellius, based upon the multiverse map. This place is about the same as our medieval era; just add in shapeshifters, which consist of cats, wolves, birds, and dragons."

"Well, if we have to face any of them, we better train." And thus, we went outside and practiced a little, a bit with each other and on a nearby tree. All was well while we practiced until unfortunately, one of Jem's sparring attacks accidently lit said tree on fire.

"Nice going. Shower!" I cried, barely keeping in my laughing. Then I realized the harm we _might_ have done. "…Oh dear… that was a really bad idea… what if we alerted someone bad?"

"…Eh, if they're hostile, we just jump'em and shoot'em. If not, hey, we get a new ally!" Jem beamed. I had to admit, I liked his perspective. Besides, what's the worst that could happen that we haven't faced before? It's not like a dragon the size of a large island will suddenly appear and summon a ton of zombies…Oh well, problem solved, back inside for lunch. As we got in though, I was sure I'd heard something.

"Jem, do you hear that?" I asked. He perked his ears, trying to locate the sound. "It sounded like rustling from bushes."

"Eh, could be a rabbit or somethin'. Bet'cha we'll find something on tape if there _is_ anything, though." Jem replied, finding nothing from his hearing while plopping onto the couch and turning on the TV to watch the cameras, but able to get up at the ready while I closed the door behind me.

"This is true. I guess all that's left to do is wait for when an intruder blips on our radar. Then, if they're hostile, we jump'em and shoot'em into submission." Jemri grinned at my comment.

"Got that right, pard'ner!" Jemri gestured a firing gun at me. I mentally cringed, and physically squirmed a little. Jemri _really_ liked westerns a bit too much.

Just then, I could've sworn I heard something loudly rustle outside in the bushes again. "Wait… I heard that too. Doesn't sound huge, but sounds pretty big. You stay close to me little bro, okay?" He said, covering me from behind. As we were back to back, we scanned for who was there in both the windows, and our TV monitor.

I couldn't help but sigh to myself. _'I knew something was off here…'_

"…Oh no… Jem, look on the monitor!" I realized how much trouble we were in.

"…A pack of big cats… not just any kind… they're big… shapeshifters… like me."

* * *

Mordecai was first to arrive at the destination, with Lethe following close behind. He stopped when he was an odd house in the middle of a clearing. It was a little off of the pathway to Hurri, but close enough that Mordecai liked to take naps near the trees there when he wasn't on missions. He felt relieved that the house didn't take his spot, but didn't like that it was very close to it.

"Mordecai, any idea about who lives in this house?" Lethe asked.

"House not Gallian. House also near Mordecai's sleeping spot. Mordecai not like this house." the blue tiger grumbled. Lethe sighed at her subordinate, but felt his pain – it was annoying when someone would take her spots as well, especially when she'd had a particularly harrowing day.

Kyza, Raulden, and Lyre, all in their beast forms, arrived shortly after and shifted into their demi-beorc forms to join their companion. Lyre was busy thinking about Ranulf, based upon the swishing of her tail, and Kyza was thinking about Ranulf giving him a promotion.

"So this is where that blast came from… that place doesn't look like it'd be the blast's source though…" Raulden sniffed the air. "…but I _do_ smell good food. Whoever's in that house is-" Raulden got interrupted by his growling stomach, causing him to blush lightly. The rest of the party became either amused (in Lyre's case), saddened (Mordecai's) or distraught (Lethe's and Kyza's). Typical Raulden; always eager when food is involved.

"Raulden did not follow Mordecai's advice. Beef stew was more filling than barbeque pork ribs." The blue tiger stared at his blond fang-brother blankly, index finger pointing upward. Lethe facepalmed, while Kyza just hung his head. Meanwhile, Lyre poked Raulden in the stomach, causing him to swat at her hand.

"Well _anyway,_" Raulden continued gruffly, "that house is worth a look." That much everyone agreed upon, and decided to stalk out different sides of the house. The windows were quite large, about as tall as a beorc, but all black so no one could see inside, and probably not thin enough to break. No entrances aside from the front door either. This house would be a tough one to break into…

The cats convened again at the front door. "No way in but this door. If we're gonna find anything, it'll be through there." Raulden explained.

"And what if it's a trap? We don't know if they're hostile or benign, or if there's anyone at all and to be fair, this is _definitely not a Gallian house._ Way too intricate." Lethe pointed to the odd circular parts of the house and the roof pattern. "For all we know they could be aliens."

"Mordecai not like house… house is suspicious."

"I agree with Mordecai. When I was down here a few days ago, there was no trace whatsoever of a house in these parts, nonetheless something as complex as that. Whoever made it must have been really quick. Maybe that explosion was the house being built or something." Kyza pondered.

"That is a good point… maybe it was made with magic? It'd have to be _really_ powerful though, if it made that house in one shot." Lyre thought aloud.

"Ah well, nothing to be done but to go in and check." Raulden walked right up to the front door, everyone trailing behind them. Finding a button near the door, he decided to push it, and backed away quickly. Thankfully, it didn't blow up, but what _did_ raise their heart rates was who was behind the door…

* * *

_Ding Dong! _The doorbell rang. I looked at the monitor, seeing three large men and two smaller women… all with feline traits…

"Hey, Jem… we've got visitors… they kinda look like you, actually."

"Dude, no way…" He paused, until he looked at the screen as well, his large left hand on my shoulder. "No way… they _do_ look like me, tail and all!"

"That settles it then, you answer the door!" I said, shoving Jem in front of me towards the door.

"H-hey! You're coming too. We do stuff together, right?"

"Fine… just don't let them know we're Spheri! Who knows if they're rhabdophobic** or technophobic!?" I said, quickly turning off the TV.

"Good point. Ah well, we'll be able to explain pretty much anything they ask… hopefully not about… y'know…"

"Yeah. Well, only one way to find out." I said as Jem opened the door. "Just as we've rehearsed."

The door opened, revealing a 6' young man with long brown hair and likewise eyes, with a somewhat loose, navy blue shirt, black jeans, and socks of grey and white. Behind him stood a much taller man of auburn hair and likewise eyes, with a tight-fitting black shirt and blue jeans, with socks similar in manner to the shorter man.

"Ah," the shorter spoke in a melodic tenor. "You must be the welcoming committee. May I ask who you all are?"

The group looked at each other quizzically; then Raulden spoke up, being that he was the highest command. "I am Commander Raulden of Gallia. These are my subordinates, Lethe and Mordecai, along with Commander Ranulf's subordinates Kyza and Lyre." Each of them nodded as their name was called. "We had received word that there was an explosion nearby, so we came to investigate upon orders by His Majesty, Caineghis." The two men looked at each other briefly. "May we come in?"

"Of course. Oh, don't forget to leave your shoes at the door and put on the slippers so you don't track dirt in. Dirt on wood floors is hard to clean." The smaller spoke up again. Looking at each other, the group followed the pair in, leaving their shoes as the little indention before stepping into the house and putting on slippers. To be honest, it was quite an interesting home – the glass that was dark and black on the outside was as transparent as water on the inside. A circular table hewn from mahogany with eight matching chairs sat away and to the right in the large central room, and a large couch with a plush blue rug underneath near a panel of black glass sat across to the left.

Lyre was very surprised at how tidy the large room was, considering how most men in the Gallian army would have somewhat messy abodes. Clearly the younger man was _not_ Gallian, but she was intrigued by the larger man – he bore the same appearance as a tiger laguz. '_Wait, is he a slave!?' _Lyre thought. _'Wait… no… if that were the case he'd be bossing the big guy around…then… are they…!'_

The seemingly-pointless black glass caught Kyza's eye. It seemed quite out of place, and didn't seem to serve much decorative purpose. That, or the pair has seriously odd taste in art. _'What kind of man decides that __**black glass **__of all things is considered art?'_

Mordecai liked the table and chairs– they were very well made, even better than some of the work his brothers did. The sheen of it almost sparkled like silver, especially the trim. _'Good table… it looks sturdy… good in case of drunken brothers…'_

_Not even __**laguz**__ craftsmen could make floors __**this**__ finely made… forget about hu-beorc…'_ Lethe thought. _'…And why are their slippers so itchy? They need better ones!'_

Raulden, however, looked straight into the kitchen. _'So much cookware… I wonder which one is the chef… very well organized, too… Hopefully that means we get food…' _Raulden's stomach lightly grumbled again. _'Man… I'm __**starving**__… '_

"Sounds like someone is hungry. It's about lunchtime, so I'll see if I can whip something up. Anyone here with allergies?" the shorter man asked.

* * *

I offered making food in an attempt to make peace with them. By the way their tails were moving, I could tell they found Jem and me suspicious. Besides, it's around noon, and Jem'll be hungry regardless. '_Okay, head count… Jem & I… Raulden, Mordecai, Kyza… Lethe, Lyre…Yeesh, four big guys… make that three big guys, and one huge guy… Raulden's as big as the other two combined! Guess I'll be slaving over the counter for a while…maybe make something quick that can be made easily…Maybe potato skins will do the trick?'_

"Anyone here with allergies?" I asked. They looked at each other, and all shook their heads.

"Well, since you're not from around here, I suppose whatever comes to mind will be fine. Don't be skimpy with the food though – we eat a lot, especially me." Raulden, the large blond tiger-man chuckled. At least, I think he's a tiger… y'know… he looks like… Jem, in some respects…

"Alright, feast for seven, coming up…three medium…three large… one king size." I trailed.

"Make that two king sizes." The big guy said again.

"_Don't_ push it. I'll make sure there's enough." …Sheesh, not only is he big, but he's a _glutton_ too. A very bad combination for me, since that means a lot more food to prepare.

Jem set the table, then they all sat down while I prepared the food – which most of it was quick, thanks to Spheri tech being highly efficient, especially when it came to cooking. If they had tastes anywhere near Jem (add more veggies for the girls… maybe)… then mixed Potato Skins would be best. Gouda, Roquefort, Cheddar, beef, tomatoes, peppers, and of course, potatoes. Prep was easy; shred the cheeses, mince the beef, slice the tomatoes and peppers, and shell the potatoes. …And that meant a **lot** of potatoes. Spheri tech allowed my fridge to use the storage at our base – which, being that us Spheri reach across the multiverse, we had a plentiful varieties of edible items. After setting the timer on the oven, I decided to join the rest at the table and couch.

Mordecai had been looking out the windows, probably amazed that before, he could not look through them. The girls seemed to be looking at the TV in curiosity, thankfully not going to the remote I'd hidden inside the couch. If they found that we'd been spying on them, they'd have way too many questions and accusations to answer at the time. Kyza and Raulden were sitting with Jem, presumably making small talk.

"Hey…" the green-clad girl called to me when I was halfway to the table. I looked at her, and she seemed to be agitated. I'd forgotten during them coming in…

"Ah, I forgot, how poor of me. I suppose introductions are in order. I am Ieremiah, and my friend over here is Jemri." Jem raised his hand as I said his name. "For simplicity, you may simply call me Iery."

"Ieremiah… odd name. Where are you from?" Raulden asked… …Not like you guys don't have odd names too…

"It's a loooooong ways away from here. You've probably never heard of it." I said, smiling as I put on my set of big, thick-rimmed glasses. I could see Jem was wholeheartedly attempting to cover his face, tomato red from laughing inwardly to the point he could barely breathe. I couldn't help but smile at him… though Kyza… well, most of them were wondering why he was laughing. Raulden also smiled though – he probably just thought I looked goofy. Which I do – they definitely don't fit my face.

"So anyway, Mr. Iery, about this black glass…" Lyre peeped from behind Lethe. "…What is it?"

"Uh… well… It's an… uh… keepsake…" I looked at Jem quickly, who had recovered from his laughing fit. _'C'mon, handle this one!' _I tried to say with my eyes. "I-I think Jem might be able to… uh…"

"It's a memento from a guy we helped out on the way here." Jem leaned back in his chair, hands going behind his head. "He said that since we took care of the bandits in the area we were in, we could keep it. Looks pretty fancy, huh?" Jem winked at Lyre, causing her to blush a little.

"I-I guess…" Lyre responded.

"What are these windows?" Mordecai asked.

"Special glass that lets light enter through only one way. We have various uses for it, such as eye protection. Although, I've found it to be useful when you don't want one end of the room to wind up as a sauna." I responded. The big blue guy nodded, smiling.

Just then the timer dinged, causing all the Gallians to shake their heads, wondering what it was. "Oh, the skins are done!" I hopped back to the kitchen area, donned my mitts and pulled out the well-baked potato skins. I was able to put about 20 to a tray, so I had 80. That should be enough, right? I mean, they _were_ big potatoes. Jem rushed over and got the dipping sauces from the counter while I put all the potato skins on the plates – four for me, Lethe, and Lyre; twelve for Kyza, Mordecai and Jem; and then, thirty-six of the biggest ones for Raulden. …That should do it, right? _Right?_

Jem and I said a quick prayer, and then we all dug in.

* * *

All of us had eaten our portions, with me getting compliments from the Gallians about my cooking skills. Thankfully they did it _after_ they had eaten the potato skins, so chunks wouldn't go flying.

"Iery make good chef. Gallia would like Iery." Mordecai said. …His speech is… rather broken. Given by his actions though, this language is probably just one he isn't used to.

"I'll say… whew, I'm stuffed!" Raulden chuckled, patting his now-heavily distended stomach. …I'm serious, it's like he and Jem are related. Déjà vu and all that. Kyza seemed to sigh inwardly – probably disapproving of the commander's gluttony.

"I'm glad you're full – I'd be worried if you were still hungry. That's a _**lot**_ of food, and that's some heavy distension you've got going on." I replied. Seriously – he looked as if he became pregnant with third-trimester _quadruplets_, and large ones at that! I'm surprised that his clothes still covered his stomach.

"Seriously. I know I can _eat_, but you're ridiculous." Jem added. Raulden just chuckled

"Commander Raulden happens to be the fourth highest officer in the entire Gallian army. His father is the third, and then you have the lions – the Prince and the King's shadow. Then of course there's the King himself." Kyza explained.

"…Please tell me they don't _all_ eat like he does…" I sighed, pointing to Raulden with my thumb.

Kyza sighed as well. "Well, His Majesty and his shadow show a bit more restraint, but put Commander and the Prince together in the same room and… well…"

"That happens to both of them?" I pointed again.

"Worse." Mordecai interjected. "Sometimes they fight. Skrimir likes battle too much."

…Well… remind me to hide behind Jem whenever we meet him…My guess is that he's like Raulden in stature, but more like a lion… like long red hair. …Hopefully not from the blood of his ene- I don't even wanna think about i-kpulgh!

"Don't worry, I'll make sure that Prince Skrimir won't harm you. You're esteemed guests, after all."

'…_If you don't first… Why'd he have to slam me into his stomach!?' _I thought. Thankfully, his full belly dulled the impact. _That's force you should reserve for pushing someone out of the way, not face-planting them into your stomach!_

Jem looked at me fearfully, hoping I wasn't hurt. I gave a small thumbs up, easing his fears a small bit.

"Well, since we've determined they aren't hostile, can we go back to the palace now?" Lyre said, examining her nails.

"For once, I agree with her – we should go back soon, preferably with these two in tow. You don't mind, do you?" Lethe asked us.

A quick glance at each other later, Jem spoke. "Sure, just let us pack first… Er… we may need some privacy." I made a shooing motion – I'd hate to see what damage Raulden and Skrimir would do to our stores of food… if that wasn't even the full force of _one_ of them…

With them out of the house, Jem immediately opened up his arms and I immediately embraced him, near-sobbing while Jem held me to his chest. Less than a day in and I'm already scared of this place. "Jeeeeem…"

"Shh… We'll get through this, little bro, I promise." Jem consoled me while rubbing my back. I heaved a sigh, prepping myself for the next steps of our journey to go back home. …This will take a _while…_

* * *

_* _Saint Soan: Think of that as a Christmas-ish event with Skrimir dressed up similarly to Santa Claus._  
_

** Rhabdophobia is the fear of magic.


	3. Chapter 3

Spheri Society – Howling Snow 03

We left our cozy little home with it safeguarded by security cameras, ultra-locked doors, and activating the thick stone guards for the windows, finally closing the door likewise. I mean, honestly, these are _tigers, lions and possibly even bears. _Like a locked door would keep them out? A retractable door and front porch is a _much _safer route. Then it just looks like an odd monument that they can't figure out what the crack it is. "There," I said, "now we can finally leave." I could see Lethe wanted to say something – probably about me taking a bit of time – but I mean, who knows how many days we'll be on the road or how long we'll be at the castle? …Assuming that _is _where we're going.

"Finally. You two took long enough." Lyre pouted. "Good thing the castle's only about half a mark away." I presume that's about 30 minutes. "…Well, if laguz bandits don't try to get you guys. But you're with us, so no worries."

"Yeah, considering Raulden here could just _eat _them…" Kyza muttered under his breath. Raulden glared for a bit before getting up from his spot under a nearby tree – which happened to be the same tree Jem had accidentally set on fire.

"Well _excuse _me for having a _healthy appetite_." Raulden snipped. He then faced toward me. "Well then, Iery, presuming you aren't a laguz, which one of us will you be riding? I could personally escort-"

"I'm riding Jem." I interrupted, causing Raulden to be …a little disappointed, perhaps? I guess he wanted to return the favor of giving him a hearty meal. "No offense to you guys, but being that we're the only two foreigners in the group, and we're a team anyway, we should _probably _stick together, if only so we don't get separated from each other." I explained.

A harrumph from Raulden gave me the impression he wanted otherwise but accepted it. "Alright. Well, as long as Jem can keep up with us, you shan't have a problem." Everyone then shapeshifted, excluding me of course. I got onto Jem's back, rubbing his coat of auburn fur. I hung close to his body while they ran at alarming rates. Thankfully I've rode on Jem a few times, so I'm mostly used to it. Unfortunately, my poor long hair _wasn't. _It almost hurt to have my ponytail, so I decided to just go with it – I grabbed the hairband, slid it onto my wrist and let my waist-length hair fly. I have to admit, it feels nice to have it flowing in the wind... now if only I wouldn't wind up with a ton of split ends because of it.

Thankfully our trip to the capital, Zarzi according to my map, was rather uneventful aside from wondering if I _should _have let Raulden carry me there... he _did _seem disappointed after all... "So this is Zarzi – quite the bustling place..." I murmured to myself. Jem purred in agreement. Without missing a beat, they all shapeshifted back to their humanoid forms, Jem not minding that he was essentially carrying me on piggyback.

"We'll be taking a much less-crowded route – it'll be much quicker." Raulden explained. "Don't make a commotion and we'll be there shortly."

...I wonder if Jem & I should get into ceremonial stuff... Sure, my ceremonial dress was programmed into my Spherus band (among other outfits), as was Jem's, but given the uniforms of the Gallian populace, we'd both stick out like sore thumbs, not to mention be overly flashy... unless the king himself was, which I doubt. He probably has a cape though – nobles of this time usually will have some sort of cape to billow behind them while they walk in their palace, to give an air of majesty about them. "By the way, should we put our formal wear on, or just go as is? Is there a dress code when... I presume we are meeting the king, yes?" I asked.

"Yes to meeting the King, no to formal wear, unless you'd like to – though please be patient with His Majesty... we've been having, er... issues..." Kyza sighed.

"Hmm... does it have t'do with this Prince Skrimir you mentioned?" Jem asked.

Mordecai growled in agreement. "Prince Skrimir is rowdy. Especially if Raulden is around."

...Oh dear... remind me to avoid him. "Rowdy as in...?"

"Oh, just a tussle here and there, maybe an eating or drinking competition or two..." Raulden chuckled again.

_'Good grief, sounds more like sibling rivalry than anything else... if you can call it that.'_I thought.

"And how bad are these?" I asked.

"Enough for Raulden's father, General Meinrad, and the King or his shadow to intervene." Lethe replied.

_'...Yikes.' _I thought. _'If they're that bad, I hope they'll have enough nerve to __**behave **__while we're there... I hope Jem will be okay too. He likes to compete every now and then, but if Skrimir is at Raulden's level or __**higher **__that would spell __**big **__trouble... especially if they ask or force me to cook...'_

And just as I thought that, I felt Jem put his arm around my shoulder. Looking up at him, I could see a wide, classical Jem grin like a big Cheshire cat but with a happy, brotherly look in his eye, winking at me while rubbing my shoulder. "Don't worry little bro, I'll make sure you're safe." he whispered.

"No worries here – if something _does _go wrong we _do _have our Spherus bands... you did remember to put away the higher-level ones, right?" I whispered back.

"...Ooh... oops. Ah well, I'll just make sure to only use the lower ones. I made sure to put some in, just in case."

"Hah... I still remember when you accidentally lit your tail on fire. _That _was amusing."

"H-hey...I'm _way _better than that, now. You remembered to pack some Aid sphe-"

Lethe and Kyza were looking at us a little oddly. They probably thought of us as suspicious, based on their tails, but didn't act yet, since we haven't done anything besides whisper to each other... Hopefully they didn't hear us – I mean, being around Jem's gotten me used to his super hearing, so surely I wasn't loud enough to alert their attention... Right?

"And here we are, Castle Gallia proper. Quite the place, eh?" Raulden turned to face the two of us, interrupting our conversation... Well, that was quick... They're fond of openness, it seems – there's a lot of terraces and various archways. One would assume that this would be fitting for a forest province... it reminds me of that time we'd visited those forest elves in Sector E-2. Though I doubt these were-felines would serve us nuts and berries – Jem almost had a fit from not getting meat after a few days.

"So... where exactly will we be meeting-"

"Well well well," an electric blue-haired cat man interrupted Jem. "Look what the cats dragged in."

_'...That sentence did __**not **__deserve priority over Jem's statement.' _I thought, raising my left eyebrow. I could see Jem glaring at the man – with good reason. Where we're meeting this king _is _important. I mean, three leaders we met so far immediately challenged us to a _duel in their arena_. Seriously, it matters.

"Ah, Commander Ranulf. Not to cut to the chase, but has Prince Skrimir sobered yet? I'd heard His Majesty wanted a sharp word with him..." Raulden beamed at his fellow officer.

"Yikes, put me in a rock and a hard place from the get-go, will ya?" Ranulf replied. "But as for His Royal Drunkenness, he's in mid-recovery from a serious hangover. Drank six whole barrels of our beer supply – I doubt he'll be in a good mood for a while."

"Six, huh? Pfft. He's still nowhere near me. Eight was my best, from what I recall..."...Quite the braggart _you _are, ya brute. Then again, this is _Raulden _we're talking about here – he ate thirty-six of my potato skins – he might have actually done that...

"Yeah, well be nice with His Majesty – he looks more banged up than an alley cat. Not physically, of course, but last I checked I bet he wanted to join Skrimir in inebriation than give him yet another lesson."

"Man, that sounds bad." Raulden chuckled. "Hopefully he won't mind meeting these two though – they'll probably lift His Majesty's spirits," he whispered into Ranulf's ear, "especially the little one. I could barely stop eating his food, it was so good." Ranulf raised his eyebrows in surprise.

Ranulf raised his eyebrows in surprise. "That good?"

"Yeah," Raulden laughed. "Ate as much as everyone minus the guy with the red band." Ranulf whistled at that. "Probably would've ate more if he didn't run out!"

Ranulf chuckled, patting Raulden on his arm. "Well, just make sure ya don't explode from that appetite of yours. We'd be losing a great commander." He turned to us. "And I suppose you two are our guests. As Raulden already said, I'm Ranulf, and well, welcome to Gallia." he said with a bow, light blue tail swishing laxly.

Jem and I both nodded in response. They then led us to the Royal Hall, which was thankfully right at the entrance. Ranulf and Raulden had run ahead to alert the king of guests, most likely, and possibly prepare arrangements. Being that we came from more of a back alley, I didn't get as many odd looks – apparently I either look like someone they don't see often, someone they don't like, or both. Hopefully not both. Ah well, here goes, time to meet the king.

As we walked up the steps to the hall, I could notice some of the men positioned as guards looking at me oddly – probably due to me being different. They didn't seem to like me that much, but they probably wouldn't attack me, given that 1) Raulden is the 5th strongest person in Gallia, and 2) it would probably shed a negative light if they attack a foreigner randomly that was invited to the Royal Hall.

And then came number 3: their king was _**HUGE**_. And so was the guy behind him! I couldn't stop my eyes from widening at his sheer stature. No wonder he was king... he could probably beat anyone else to a _pulp!_Yikes...

"Good afternoon, Your Majesty. The results of our investigation have led us to these two young men." Both Jem and I nodded.

"Good. Now, tell me," the giant king turned to us and spoke in a gravelly, deep voice, "what are your names, and what led you two to come to Gallia?"

"I am Ieremiah, and this is Jemri. We are simply two travelers who have lost their way, and have lost our other half. Once we know how to get to where we are supposed to be going and where the other two of our party are, then we shall no longer trouble you." I explained. _'Like he'd believe we come from a society that serves as a multiversal peace corps and utilizes chemical engineering to simulate effects similar to magic. Yeah, that would __**surely **__bode well to tell them that...' _I thought sarcastically. _'Likely get us jailed... again...'_

"Fair enough. You shall stay in Gallia for as long as you need." he boomed.

"Thank you, King of Gallia." both Jem and I said in unison.

"Lethe and Mordecai, prepare rooms for our guests to stay the night." He turned to us again. "Now, being that you are travelers, I assume that you have not been in Gallia before. It would be my pleasure to show you what Gallia has to offer."

'_Well isn't he nice. Hopefully this doesn't lead to a trap or something though – not like we can't get out of it, but it'll still be annoying if that happens.' _I thought. _'Time shall tell...'_

* * *

We were led to our rooms to drop off our light baggage, then Jem came into my room.

"'ey bro, you doin' okay?" Jem asked.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. I'm just anxious about what could happen next. Remember when we had to face three kings at once?" I said, lying down on the bed.

"Ugh... don't remind me. Besides, he's just one king, and he's a bit bigger than me. Those three kings we had to face were giants, remember?" he said, joining me.

"All too well. My worry lies in that we'll face something similar - not physical, however." I paused. "Something tells me that the reconfiguring on the teleportation might _not _have been an accident..." I looked into his amber eyes, conveying my dismay.

"Aw, c'mon little bro... you worry too much. We'll be outta here soon, and I'll do everything I can do make sure nothin' happens to ya." He hugged me to his chest, letting me hear his purring again.

"Thanks, big bro..." I huddled closer into his chest, genuinely worried for what might happen. Just then, it was if my suspicions were confirmed, at least to me. A loud knock on the door broke our embrace, signaling that the next event was to occur. "Come in." I said somewhat hesitantly.

The door opened to none other than Raulden, who ducked to enter. Now that I'm able to look at him more closely and _not being shoved into his stomach for his own amusement_, I have to admit - he's huge too. Not as big as the king, but definitely huge. I'd put him around... maybe seven feet tall? Given his size and that he's on-par with Skrimir, I guess the prince would be about his size too... aaaaand there strikes another thing that's potentially worrisome: if Raulden eats like a glutton and pushes me into his stomach like it was _normal_, then remind me to not get around this Prince Skrimir. Based on my knowledge, he could very well be the death of me. "The king would like to see you in private, and it's advised that you wear formal clothing."

"Why do formal now and not when we were to meet him in the throne room?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.

"His Majesty prefers that on public occasions, his visitors be comfortable. In more private matters, however, he prefers that they be in clothing to match the mood – in this case, it's serious. He hardly ever asks people to wear formal clothing." Raulden explained.

'_Well then,' _I thought, '_it looks like we shall have a serious discussion after all. Hopefully this will lead us quicker to Cleinias and Sheryl. The quicker we get out of this place, the better off all of us will be.' _I nodded. "All right, then we shall be there post-haste... give us a moment to change?"

"All right. I'll be outside when you're ready to be escorted." He said, closing the door. I started configuring my Spherus band, and swapped my clothes to my formal wear I'd programmed into it. Jem did the same, and very soon a scanning circle altered our clothing with a quick slide-over from our right to left hands, then back to right, then disappearing.

I was garbed in a white fur greatcoat with blue & teal linings, a dress shirt and pants with matching thigh-high boots, and my signature emerald circlet on my head. My ornate lance-staff, Rapha, completed it, and would no doubt be sufficient as a weapon if things got out of hand. Jem's outfit had his red cowboy hat and chaps, black cowboy boots, white western shirt, black fringe jacket with red trim, and signature twin white, red-trimmed Spheropistols, which he named Tatron and Dalphon.

Exiting the somewhat small room, (which was not much more than a comfy chair, desk, bed, armoire, and rug), I could tell that by Raulden's open mouth, he was quite surprised at how different we looked, and probably wondering where I'd gotten my staff.

"I suppose you're ready to go then?" he asked dumbfoundedly, his open mouth still apparent.

"Yes. By the way, it's rude to keep your mouth open." I said with a wink. "In my land, if your mouth is open, your mind is closed." It was also a good way to tell someone, especially politicians, to just shut up before they make things worse, but I didn't mean it that way.

He closed his mouth, and started down the hallway. "Well, His Majesty's location is this way." A couple of Gallian maids walked by, chattering to each other. We probably _did _look a bit ridiculous. Thankfully we didn't have to worry about weird looks much longer as we entered what seemed to be a personal library, where Caineghis, that black-haired man that was with him before, a man much larger but similar-looking to Raulden – probably his father, and... oh no... that's probably Skrimir... heeeeere comes the headache... well, all of them were there. Raulden promptly shut the door, with a single window behind Caineghis being the only source of light in the room. If we're to fight here, it would be... difficult... especially to escape.

"Now that everyone has been assembled, it is time for the _real _introductions." King Caineghis started with a harrumph, sitting in a cozy chair at the head of a large circular table. I say head only due to him sitting behind the lone window. "Allow me to introduce the five most powerful men of Gallia – you've already met me; this is Giffca, my shadow," he said, gesturing to the black-haired man, "the illustrious Tiger General Meinrad," he gestured to the huge auburn-haired man, "my nephew, Prince Skrimir," he gestured to the younger red-maned man, who I made a note to stay away from if only for my sanity, "and I'm sure you've already met Meinrad's son, Raulden." he gestured to Raulden, standing next to his father. "Given by your new attires, you are not simply travelers. Dare I say you look like nobility or even royalty. So, tell us the truth. Who are you, really?"

_'As expected... nowhere to run... I have a bad feeling about this...' _I sighed and placed some of my stray hair behind my ear. "You would indeed be correct; we are not really just travelers, at least in your sense. I am Ieremiah, Venti Iudex*, and this is Jemri, Ignis Viscomitis*." Cue raised eyebrows by all big cats, including Jem, since he was confused at their eyebrow-raising. "We are high-ranking officers of the Spheri Society who have been blown off course in one of our transports. What would have been simply transporting ourselves near an enemy base wound up transporting us, as well as the other two members of our group, all the way here. Our mission is not a lie; but rather, we couldn't reveal our origins to you publicly."

"And why would that be?" the king asked.

"Because saying 'we come from a society that serves as a multiversal peace corps and utilizes chemical engineering to simulate effects similar to magic' doesn't exactly sound sane in this era, based on our knowledge of your world. I suppose you could say we're... aliens, I guess." I raised an eyebrow at Jem, and Jem smiled as he nodded, agreeing.

"Those braces of yours... they control the... chemical engineering... correct?" Meinrad asked.

"Yep. Spheri are users of spheres, much like Magi use magic; however, they aren't the same, nor should be considered such. They are chemically – that is, they use various chemicals – designed for various reactions that result in the intended effect." Jem explained. "That, and they are extremely unstable, which is why we have to wear the bands, so they don't randomly explode until we want them to do so."

"How many types are there? Tellius only has six types of magic – Fire, Wind, Thunder, Light, Dark, and the healing staves." Caineghis asked.

"Our sphere type total ordinarily comes to nine, but they can be synthesized to make the compound groups. We have all six o'yours, but we also have water, earth, and wood. They're quite useful, I gotta admit." Jem replied as he tipped his hat upwards.

"Furthermore, each of us Spheri are capable of pretty much all elements, but we choose a "major" and a "minor" element as our main two. However, all officers above fifth rank are required to learn how to utilize the healing sphere type. My major and minor are Wind and Water, respectively. Jem here has Fire," …suddenly all five of them widen their eyes, "and Earth as his major and minor. However, being that we are high-ranking officers, we officially have a third, tertiary specialty – mine is Light, and Jem's is Dark." ...Obviously this caused quite a stir amongst the five of them, judging that Raulden's & Meinrad's tails were swishing nervously.

"So you are both esteemed practitioners of something similar to magic, who have traveled from afar – then that leaves me with one last question. _Where _do you come from – this Spheri Society?" King Caineghis asked.

I looked at Jem worriedly; after a brief pause, he nodded – I could tell the truth. Whew. "Essentially, the Spheri Society is a nexus – a bridge between 'universes', where we Spheri congregate, and basically serve as a multiversal peace corps. Our sheer existence and problem here was due to a malfunction of the teleportation system during an ambush on our base. While I'd personally love to give you more proof of our claims, we can't do that without finding Cleinias and Sheryl. They will most likely also be known as Terra Dux and Aqua Regina. The sooner we find them, the better."

"Alright then, we shall lend you our aid however we can. Skrimir, remember what we talked about?" Caineghis asked, raising an eyebrow.

"...Yes, Your Majesty." he replied, slightly blushing. ...Hmm... I wonder what that was about...

Meinrad leaned in with both of his eyebrows raised and looked at his son, causing the latter to nod curtly. "All right then, meeting adjourned, unless anyone else has issues to discuss." the King whipped out a gavel from under the table, about to hit the plate. A moment of silence later, the plate was hit, and everyone left rather quietly. Being that it was about dinnertime anyways, I decided to head to the dining hall... well, I would, but... er... where is it?

"Er, King Caineghis?" I asked the large king.

"Yes, Ieremiah?"

"...How does one navigate about the palace?" Normally I'd let Jem do it since he has better sense of smell than I do, but I think that since the king is this amiable with us, we would be better off asking him... and not randomly find the stash of food that Raulden and his father might have... at least, I suspect they'd have one, given Raulden's outrageous appetite.

"Ah yes, I'd nearly forgotten. Being that you're staying with us for a while, you'll need a tour so you don't get lost. Would you like abridged or unabridged?" ...Well... we're strapped for time, so... hmm... hopefully abridged is really abridged and not just trivial information.

"The basics of each floor would probably be best, divided by wings."

"The top floor is my, Giffca's, Skrimir's, and other high-ranking officers' quarters, as well as elder guest rooms. Below there, this floor, is the library, guest rooms and the other officer quarters. Then below there is the throne room, and then the dining hall. Of course, there are plentiful courtyards for training just outside the halls." the large king explained.

"I shall take note of the locations, then."

"Er... by the way... about your companion..." he said, looking around to make sure no one else was around.

"...Well, I have to admit, Jemri _does_look like your people, specifically what I presume to be your tiger clan. However, the ramifications of that would be an entirely different matter altogether..."

"Ramifications?" ...Might as well tell him. Like he'd believe me anyway... based upon previous experience.

"You see... there are no 'native' Spheri in Spheri Society – not anymore, anyway. All of us are outcasts, if you will, of our respective worlds – and find the Society, also known as the nexus, as a safe haven. All of us have had some pain or another in our lives that our worlds could no longer give. Those of sufficient rank even become a police force of sorts to protect the multiversal peace – we were originally to teleport to our enemy's base... and right when we did, the enemy attacked ours, basically making our teleportation unit malfunction, and blow the four of us here."

"It sounds like you have had quite the horrid experience... Perhaps we should continue this over dinner." Yes, let's.

* * *

Dinner was quite pleasing, with various fruits, meats, and herbs that gave a variety of flavors. I have to admit, they sure know how to prep a feast. I don't think they can compare to _our_ feasts, though - given, we have a number of universes colliding in the nexus, so very unique things pop up, like Bes Telmari, a blue strawberry-like fruit that you peel off a swirling skin similar to that of a kiwi, which contains a pineapple-like inside that tastes like a mix of pomegranate and... well, _tapioca_ of all things.

I'd been served a small meat platter with a thick sauce made from stellaberries, due to their star-like shape. Ordinarily they were a bit sour, but a small amount of sugar would make them gleam, again like stars, and thicken the inside into something akin to gelatin. Venison and what seemed to be peafowl were the most popular, it seemed, along with one of my favorite meats, rainbow trout. The stellaberry sauce was perfect for the trout, acting simultaneously like lemon and glaze.

"So as I was saying," I replied, sipping from some of Gallia's interesting _blue _Zardelia wine, "the reason why we came here wasn't on purpose – it was on accident, at least on our part... then again, who knows if there was another reason why we wound up here." I mused.

"Your tale is indeed a strange one. And, as you had said, the ramifications of your companion looking like us seems to be a bit perplexing." he said, taking another bite of wonderfully-seasoned venison.

"That isn't the only thing I'm worried about though. It is said that a Spheri cannot die in another world - they cannot die by illness nor blade. However, any pain that they feel is real - for example, a knife to the chest would normally kill someone, but not a Spheri; they would feel every ounce of pain, never to die. It is often that the highest Spheri criminals are subject to this. And, however, should a Spheri return to their world, not only are they susceptible to illness and the blade, but they essentially return to normal - they age. You could meet me twice, King Caineghis, and while a day apart, I could be a thousand years older. That is one sorrow of us Spheri - the worlds around us withers and fades away, shifts, changes, and becomes reborn - and we cannot partake in its grand events. Why, I myself am really-"

I got nudged by Jem. "'ey bro, check it out." he pointed toward Raulden and Skrimir, who were looking at each other heatedly. I couldn't help but snicker a little while they glowered at each other. It was as if they were two stubborn toddlers put in time out. However, there was a different matter that caught my eye. To be frank, Jem looked quite a bit like Meinrad. Sure, we've met people who look like us before, as is expected when you're a multiversal traveler, but... Meinrad was a special case - they were of the same race, they looked very similar in stature and facial structure, but more than that... his stripes were in almost identical places to Jemri's. It may be that my greatest fear would come true...

* * *

* Venti Iudex - Judge of Winds, Ignis Viscomitis - Lone Star (Lit. "Sheriff") of Fire.

**Gallian Cuisine Entry 01: Stellaberry**

Small, star-like berries that grow in clusters. They're mainly used for sauces or a sour kick in cuisine, but the gelatin-like innards have also found its way into being used for medicinal salves and gauze. It is popular amongst rhabdophobic laguz, as well as those that cannot stand alcoholic rubs. Stellaberry-mixed tea has also been said to relieve aches and pains, particularly headaches and joints.

**Gallian Cuisine Entry 02: Cardelia Wine**

A rare, sweet blue wine that is mainly found amongst the royal courts of Gallia. The beverage is made from fermented cradazias, small flower-fruit similar in size to apples, but with the appearance of large acorns. The insides are a bright sky-blue, with a honey-like sweet taste when ripe, but a hard, bitter taste when prematurely picked, like that of a persimmon.


End file.
